WWE has opened the door for collaborations with other promotions since Triple H took over creative but this new approach will be reaching a whole new level when Karrion Kross appears alongside AEW talents for a show.
Future Stars of Wrestling announced on Twitter that the former NXT Champion will be returning to the company for their March 23 show. The event titled ‘Benefit For Bey’ will be raising funds to assist TNA star Chris Bey after his neck injury last year in October:
FSW is excited to announce that current WWE Superstar @realKILLERkross will be appearing at Beynefit for Bey. This is his first appearance inside an FSW ring in more than 3 years. An announcement will be made regarding his opponent shortly. For more info lvfuturestars@yahoo.com pic.twitter.com/rBsdo4wsd5
The show will also feature multiple top AEW stars in the lineup including former AEW Champion Swerve Strickland and Brian Cage. Other names announced for the event include John Morrison, Rich Swann, Sam Adonis, Rhyno, Ace Austin and more.
Chris Bey suffered the neck injury during last year’s post-Bound For Glory TV tapings. He was competing in a tag team match against The Hardy Boyz while an awkward fall resulted in him having to be stretchered out of the arena.
The 29-year-old star had to undergo emergency surgery for the injury that had left him temporarily paralyzed. He spent a week in ICU after undergoing operation for spinal cord fusion (C6-C7 and C6-T1).
The TNA star provided a positive update on his recovery earlier this month, revealing that he is able to stand up and walk on his own again. Bay still has a long way to go in his recovery. You can check out ways to help the injured star here.
AEW has officially announced Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet II for the upcoming AEW Revolution pay-per-view event.
On the February 26 episode of AEW Dynamite, Strickland and Ricochet agreed to face off at Revolution, with a major stipulation: the winner will earn a future AEW World Championship match.
After Ricochet left for the backstage area, Prince Nana expressed concerns to Strickland, warning that he might not be able to continue managing him unless Strickland retrieves his stolen robe from Ricochet.
Prince Nana makes the situation plain for Swerve Strickland
AEW Revolution will take place on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Zero Hour pre-show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Updated AEW Revolution Card:
AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Cope
MJF vs. Hangman Page
AEW International Championship Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Kenny Omega*
AEW Women’s Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Mariah May
Steel Cage Match: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Momo Watanabe
#1 Contender’s Match for the AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet
Big Boom AJ vs. TBA
With high-stakes matchups and championship bouts, AEW Revolution is shaping up to be a must-see event.
Swerve Strickland Vs. Ricochet has quickly become one of the most personal rivalries playing out in AEW, and now their issues have extended past Tony Khan’s promotion. At the latest DEFY Wrestling event, Swerve Strickland’s theme song played, only for Ricochet to emerge instead.
Ricochet was hit with a “You are bald” chant and when the fans chanted for Strickland, Ricochet claimed that Swerve wasn’t at the show. That claim proved premature as the lights would go out and when they came back on, Swerve was in the ring. The former AEW World Champion was met with a monstrous pop from the crowd and wasted no time in brawling with Ricochet.
Strickland attempted the House Call but a poke to the eye allowed Ricochet to escape. Prince Nana emerged to throw Ricochet back in the ring. There, Strickland hit the House Call and Ricochet would later leave after shoving Nana.
Ricochet defeated Strickland on this week’s Dynamite, though its clear the issues between the pair are far from over. With high-profile events including Grand Slam: Australia and Revolution approaching, fans could soon be seeing the pair do battle on AEW programming again very soon.
Former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland raised eyebrows on Monday when he posted an x-ray image to social media, accompanied by the caption “These Hurt Syndicate beatings take a toll.”
While the image doesn’t appear to show any clear fractures or dislocations, the timing is concerning with Strickland’s high-profile match against the Hurt Syndicate’s Bobby Lashley looming at Full Gear this Saturday.
Lashley is set to make his AEW debut against Strickland in what promises to be a hard-hitting affair. Given Strickland’s reputation as one of professional wrestling’s toughest competitors, the match is expected to proceed as planned barring any official announcement to the contrary.
More details about Strickland’s condition may emerge during this Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
MVP Reacts to Swerve’s X-Ray
MVP retweeted a fan who said the Hurt Syndicate lives up to its name, yet another dig at Swerve before Full Gear.
Swerve Strickland has debuted some new ink ahead of his showdown with Bobby Lashley later this month at Full Gear. On social video, the former AEW World Champion shared a video of himself getting a neck tattoo. Strickland didn’t specify what design he’s receiving, though a design was seen behind him in the video which may be the tattoo in question. Swerve Strickland captioned the clip with simply one word.
Strickland has run afoul of The Hurt Syndicate as of late, resulting in a beatdown last week by MVP’s crew and the debuting Bobby Lashley. On this week’s Dynamite, Swerve demanded a match against Lashley for AEW Full Gear and MVP obliged.
The feud with the Hurt Syndicate has marked a clear shift for Strickland who has exited the AEW World Championship picture for the time being. The first African-American AEW World Champion, Strickland lost the gold to Bryan Danielson at AEW All In: London. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on Swerve Strickland and the new ink that fans will soon get to see in the ring every single week.
In the main event of the October 30, edition of Dynamite, Swerve Strickland took on Shelton Benjamin, another name brought in by MVP. In the climax of the match, Swerve nailed a Liger Bomb and a Swerve Stomp to get the win, his first in over two months.
After the match was over, MVP got his phone out and he made a call. Then the lights went out and Bobby Lashley made his way to the ring. Fans chanted “holy s**t” as Lashley arrived and with MVP holding back Prince Nana, Lashley and Benjamin double-teamed Swerve Strickland.
MVP grabbed the microphone after everything was over, and yelled, “Guess who’s back in business?!” Lashley’s arrival is a huge coup for AEW as Tony Khan now has one of WWE’s biggest stars in recent years.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Bobby Lashley now that the All Mighty former World Champion is now All Elite.
MVP has made his presence felt in AEW in recent weeks. An impressive in-ring debut for Shelton Benjamin only further reinforced their collective potential as individual talents and, all the more so, as a unit.
All too often, though, fans have seen acts start out hot in AEW, only to get lost in the shuffle. While the easy critiques on MVP, Benjamin, and other talents who may or may not joint them—particularly Bobby Lashley—is that they’re WWE alumni and that they’re relatively old, there’s still plenty of potential for them to change the game in AEW.
The Hurt Is Back In Business
The Hurt Business will be in action at Crown Jewel
WWE’s Hurt Business was a landmark faction. They were one of the coolest parts of WWE programming in the pandemic era and the group succeeded in finally getting Bobby Lashley all the way over as a WWE Champion after stop-start pushes and never quite reaching the mountain top throughout either of his WWE tenures prior to that point.
The Hurt Business experiment fizzled, though, with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander fading further and further into the background and MVP on the outs. Lashley enjoyed some successes, including fans seeing a lot of potential in him teaming up with The Street Profits, but it never went anywhere and The All Mighty’s final months in WWE were conspicuously quiet.
Now, MVP and Benjamin have shown up in AEW, launching The Hurt Syndicate. WWE has done a nice job of slow-playing this act, including creating initial intrigue between MVP and Swerve Strickland, before rolling out Benjamin and immediately establishing him as far more of an in-ring threat than he got to play for most of his WWE career.
AEW Can Push Black Talent To The Moon
While WWE has been on fire under Triple H’s creative leadership, one critique that’s only gaining momentum is that The Game hasn’t done enough to push black talent. Fans have noticed an absence of black men in particular from PLE cards. Moreover, Helmsley’s attempt at quieting the haters in the Bad Blood post-show press conference came across as uncharacteristically tone deaf and outdated as he claimed not to see color.
It doesn’t seem fair to actually think of The Cerebral Assassin as actively racist, but he has nonetheless left an opening for AEW to distinguish itself by more overtly pushing black stars. Swerve Strickland’s celebrated run as AEW Champion laid some strong groundwork. MVP and The Hurt Syndicate have the tools to take things to the next level.
A Swerve Strickland Vs. Bobby Lashley Feud
Swerve Strickland and Shelton Benjamin look as though they’re on a collision course right now in AEW, but between Benjamin’s age and the damage his credibility took in WWE, this wouldn’t feel like a satisfying end game for the story AEW has been rolling out. Rather, things really feel as though they ought to be building toward Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley.
Lashley is an awesome physical specimen and with WWE world title credentials under his belt (not to mention a history as the world champ in TNA), he’s a suitably credible opponent for Strickland. Moreover, The All Mighty represents a worthy mountain to climb. Though Strickland should ultimately have his sights set on reclaiming the AEW Championship, winning a feud over Lashley and The Hurt Syndicate could do a great deal to further solidify Strickland as a bona fide main event fixture.
The Hurt Syndicate Vs. The Blackpool Combat Club
The Blackpool Combat Club has been one of the most compelling parts of AEW programming for much of the last two and a half years. The recent tonal shift, with Jon Moxley turning heel and recapturing the AEW Championship, intrigue around their mission to fundamentally change AEW, and the additions of PAC and Marina Shafir have brought the group right back to the spotlight as one of the most buzzworthy acts in the promotion, if not all of wrestling.
Feuding with The Blackpool Combat Club would be a great place for The Hurt Syndicate to land, offering a formidable, fresh challenge and series of matchups, up to and including the possibility of an AEW Championship reign for Bobby Lashley. At minimum, one of the most important parts of a modern faction’s success is having other credible factions to feud with, and this is where these two groups could help one another significantly.
In the end, only time will tell what AEW has planned for MVP and his Hurt Syndicate. Early signs have been promising, though, and there’s a real chance for the creative to follow to end the mainstream careers of MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Bobby Lashley on a high note, while also bettering AEW and the careers of several of its other stars.
Swerve Strickland has revealed the one match he thinks earned him the respect of the AEW management and led to his current status in the company.
The former AEW Champion recently appeared on the No Contest Wrestling podcast. He discussed things such as growing up around the world as a military kid, Hangman Page burning down his childhood home and more.
During the talk, Strickland was asked if he can remember any specific moment that changed the course of his career like the Austin 3:16 promo did for Stone Cold Steve Austin. Swerve first said that he can think of many such moments, though the one he named was his match with Hiroshi Tanahashi:
“Through the office from talks I heard it was me and Tanahashi on a Collision. When Tanahashi was like…it was me and him. It was going right into Forbidden Door. Cause I didn’t do Forbidden Door the main show, on the second Forbidden Door.
We were going back and forth and he was about to hit High Fly Flow but he slips off. I run up and I start fighting him up boom boom boom and he knocks me off and he hits me High Fly Flow and wins.”
The match in question took place during the June 24, 2023 episode of Collision, only a day before the 2023 Forbidden Door PPV. It was only the second episode of the Saturday night show and the match in question opened the night.
According to Swerve, being able to adjust on the fly when The Ace of NJPW couldn’t hit his finishing maneuver properly showed people in the back that he had what it takes to become a champion. The AEW star also claimed that the bout might have saved the working relationship of the two companies:
“That was the moment Tony was like ‘I can trust him in anything. I can trust him with anybody’ That might be what saved the New Japan relationship with AEW. It might have been because he became the president like very soon after that.
But he gets hurt, all that goes away. All of it. So there’s that. Then shortly after that I started wrestling a lot of the veterans. It was like me and RVD, me and Jeff Hardy, me and Billy Gunn, me and Sting. It was like Swerve can make it work. Swerve can do it. I was like ‘Bring it on.'”
After the Tanahashi match, Swerve shared the ring with the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Sting. He would go on to win his first singles title in the company almost a year later at Dynasty.
At AEW WrestleDream, Swerve Strickland made his first appearance since his brutal main event loss at All Out and turned down the managerial services of MVP. Strickland acknowledged that while Prince Nana may annoy him at times, especially with his side hustle selling coffee, his loyalties remain with Nana, who in Strickland’s eyes is akin to family.
Speaking at the post-AEW WrestleDream media scrum, Strickland spoke about his return at WrestleDream and gave another update on his health.
“I’m still not 100%, but I am getting a clean bill of health to keep moving forward. No better way to do that than come back to WrestleDream, where honestly this whole push really started. Last year’s WrestleDream was really the rocket ship to get me to the main event and World Championship.”
During his segment at WrestleDream, Shelton Benjamin took issues with Strickland turning down MVP’s offer to be Swerve’s manager. When Nigel McGuinness asked if the Gold Standard would be Strickland’s first opponent back, the former World Champion acknowledged that it is likely.
“I would say so, but we’ll see how these next couple of weeks really pan out... AEW has a magic touch, and I can’t wait to see what Shelton does with that.”
Strickland is back on AEW programming, and with Bryan Danielson expecting to take a lengthy hiatus, could quickly find himself back in the AEW World Championship picture. In the meantime though, Swerve will have to deal with MVP and Shelton Benjamin, and potentially another debuting star. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on Swerve Strickland now that the former AEW World Champion is on our screens once again.
At AEW WrestleDream, Swerve Strickland will return to our screens in his first appearance since his brutal loss to ‘Hangman’ Page at All Out last month. Anticipation is high for the return of one of AEW’s most popular wrestlers, but what does Swerve Strickland have in mind for this weekend’s pay-per-view?
“I wasn’t even on camera. There’s a lot I can address there. There’s a lot I can address with the current. There is a lot I can address with the future. born. There is a lot I can go into. Maybe the people are so enthralled and emotionally connected to me that I don’t even have to say much.”
When pressed further on what fans can expect at WrestleDream, Swerve added:
“You can always expect the next evolution of me with the subtleties. Maybe my hair is different. Maybe my look is different. Something is different. You’ll feel something different in the air… people are anticipating a return of who I am, what I have to bring and what’s different, what’s new, and what old things I ‘I’m going to address.”
One man who’ll be very interested in what Swerve has to say upon his return is MVP, who has arrived in AEW with the intent of managing Strickland. MVP recently brought in Shelton Benjamin as his head of complaints, and a business card with the ‘Hurt Syndicate’ branding has indicated MVP is seeking to start a faction, presumably with Swerve involved. While Strickland has yet to return to AEW programming, he has made clear he’s at least interested in hearing what MVP has to say.
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) October 9, 2024
AEW WrestleDream 2024
AEW WrestleDream will take place on October 12 at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, Swerve Strickland’s hometown. A stacked 10-match card, including seven title matches, will accompany Strickland’s return.
Fans in the US will have the choice of using B/R Live or Triller TV to watch WrestleDream, while fans outside the U.S. will use Triller TV. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from AEW WrestleDream including breaking news and live results.
Former World Champion Swerve Strickland is set to make his AEW return very soon.
The Premier Athlete has not been seen on AEW TV since he suffered a gruesome loss at the hands of Hangman Adam Page in their unsanctioned match at All Out.
The company finally confirmed Swerve’s return on this week’s episode of Dynamite. They announced that Strickland will be making an appearance at the upcoming WrestleDream PPV on October 12:
Prior to his loss to Adam Page, Strickland had suffered another major defeat at All In. Bryan Danielson ended his 126-day-long reign as the AEW World Champion and saved his career in the process.
That means the former champion has a long road ahead to build himself up again if he plans on pursuing the world title he lost.
There is also the question of The Hurt Syndicate looming around. MVP expressed the desire to work with Swerve upon his AEW debut a couple of weeks ago.
Shelton Benjamin has also made his debut for the company as MVP’s business partner and the debut of Bobby Lashley is highly anticipated.
With all the new players in town, it’d be interesting to see how Swerve will interact with them and if they’ll prove to be friends or foes for the former NXT star.
Since arriving in AEW in March 2022, Swerve Strickland has risen through the ranks to become one of the company’s very top stars. Now, the first-ever African American AEW World Champion has taken a huge leap out of the ring and into the world of DC Comics.
Strickland features in his own story in Batman #153, the latest issue from the Caped Crusader of Gotham City. The story not only covers Strickland’s rise through the ranks of AEW, but also his military upbringing, his time in Lucha Underground, and his championship reigns. On Twitter, Strickland shared his excitement over his appearance in the comic book.
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) October 5, 2024
Strickland’s appearance in Batman #153 comes after AEW and DC Comic partnered at San Diego Comic-Con in July of this year. At the convention, AEW hosted a Ride Inside The Ring And Beyond panel which included Strickland, Will Ospreay, Toni Storm, and others speaking about their experiences as part of Tony Khan’s company.
AEW & DC Comics
In 2019, AEW and DC Comics teamed up, thanks in part to both companies being partners of Warner Bros. Discovery. This partnership saw artist Howard Porter (The Flash) draw several AEW talent. Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Nyla Rose, Cody and Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega. and Awesome Kong all received the comic-book treatment as part of this partnership.
Now, Swerve Strickland can add his name to those in AEW who have received DC’s seal of approval. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on Swerve Strickland as the former World Champion remains a top name in All Elite Wrestling.
WWE has one of the largest and most diverse rosters in all of professional wrestling with talent coming from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life. Recently, a lot has been said about the representation (or lack thereof) of black male Superstars at PLEs, which many fans have found lacking.
A black male wrestler has not won a singles match at a WWE PLE since Elimination Chamber 2023 where Bobby Lashley earned a DQ victory over Brock Lesnar. For the last time a black, male wrestler won via pinfall or submission, fans must go back to WWE SummerSlam 2022 where Lashley retained the U.S. Title against Austin Theory.
WWE has been made aware of the growing criticism regarding its handling of black, male Superstars, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reports.
One source within WWE is reported to have said “Well that’s obviously something that will be addressed now.” This weekend’s Bad Blood event will be WWE’s third consecutive PLE to feature no black, male Superstars.
This response from WWE comes after Swerve Strickland, AEW’s first black World Champion, had choice words for his former employer. Responding to a report that claimed WWE believes Strickland’s newly-signed AEW contract is above the market value, Swerve told The Breakfast Club “They only complain when a Black person gets paid.”
The topic of race and WWE’s handling of black wrestlers has been a topic of discussion for years. The important thing is that all talent of all backgrounds are treated with respect and given a fair opportunity to succeed in wrestling’s largest and most recognized promotion.
During the interview, he was also asked about the influence HBK was for him. Strickland said that Michaels was a huge influence on him and revealed that they keep in touch even now. The former NXT star then told a story about the time he felt stuck in NXT:
“He was the influence on when I really took off in my WWE NXT era because I was just stuck, hitting this wall over and over again weekly. I was having these conversations with Triple H; I was getting this runaround. I wasn’t really getting anywhere.
Then I got a promotion one day, and I was just not happy about it. I was like ‘I don’t feel like I earned the promotion, I feel like you just paying me to keep me here rather than paying what I’ve earned,’
So I spoke out about it. I was like ‘I want to be learning under Shawn.’ He was like, ‘Well, yada yada yada,’ Matt Bloom was like saying ‘yada yada yada whatever. But his office is over there.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, bet.’ I walked over to Shawn and said, ‘Hey, can we do tape study?'”
Swerve Strickland mentioned that he took the leap because he had nothing to lose. He explained that Michaels approached the whole thing with an open mind and then helped him understand what the office wanted from him:
“I was like, ‘Shawn, can I watch tape with you sometime? Like an hour, something like that.’ He’s like, ‘Give me three matches, email them to me, and I’ll pick one. We can watch it on Tuesday.’ Sure enough, he lived up to his word. We watched a match of me on the Indies from like four years ago. He’s like, ‘I want to see the reason you got here. What’s the reason that we signed you to this contract to be here? I want to watch that.’ So we watched this stuff, and he like, he’s quiet, just watching.
Guys like that, they’re not gonna [go] ‘ooh, hah hah hah’; No, they’re just gonna watch. William Regal was very much like that too. The match was over, and he stopped. He’s like, ‘I know exactly the kind of performer you are now. Now I know who you are, now I know what you can offer.’ Next thing you know, he’s in meetings talking about TV the night before, and he’s texting me, he’s like ‘Okay, they want to see you get a little more aggressive and stuff like that. So bring it next match.’ I’m like, ‘That’s it? That’s all I’ve got to do?’
Next match, beating the hell out of me and Bronson Reed going back and forth. He comes to me in the back, and it’s like a football coach after the match. He’s like smacking my ass and [going], ‘That’s what I’m talking about. There you go.’ So I was like, ‘Yeah, I got that from Shawn.’ Next thing you know, North American Championship match happened. Next thing you know TV, I’m getting the microphone to talk now live. I get to show my personality more.”
The AEW star noted that these chances helped him stand out among other recruits. He started taking more and more risks after that and started getting much more comfortable in front of the camera. It got him ready for the bigger opportunities that came his way and made him the star he is now.
AEW star Swerve Strickland has seemingly confirmed that Tony Khan’s promotion will be producing a show for Fox Network soon.
Youtuber Trevor “Queenzflip” Robinson recently published a video about his visit to Sneakcon in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The convention took place on 21 and 22 September at the Maimonides Park stadium.
Robinson ran into the former AEW Champion during his trip. Strickland first educated him about all the work he has been doing with the wrestling promotion, including him becoming the first African American world champion of the company.
During the talk, the AEW star mentioned how SmackDown has moved from Fox to USA Network and claimed that they’re taking Fox after that:
“We about to get on Fox. Cause SmackDown’s leaving Fox. And then we’re taking Fox. TNT, TBS, and Fox, we got all three of them. Tony Khan lets me do whatever I want.”
The new TV deals of AEW will be a historic event not only for Tony Khan but for the whole sports entertainment world. Reports suggest that the company will be getting around $170 million a year for producing two shows a week for various Warner Bros Discovery platforms.
Unlike their current agreement, however, AEW programming is not expected to be exclusive to WBD anymore. The cancellation of Rampage would open doors for the company to produce a new show for a different network.
Swerve Strickland is currently off TV after suffering two big losses. He lost the AEW World Title to Bryan Danielson at All In on August 25 and suffered another brutal defeat at the hands of Hangman Page at All Out on September 7.
Swerve Strickland says he’s worth every penny that he earns, and thinks its kind of funny that these “overpaid” labels get thrown around with people of color.
The former World Champion of All Elite Wrestling recently put pen-to-pater on a new multi-year contract with the organization. He signed the contract at Wembley Stadium on the AEW All In London kickoff show, just hours before he’d lose the title against Bryan Danielson. Shortly thereafter, it was rumored that WWE was interested in signing Strickland, but felt AEW overpaid and offered a sum that was far above market value.
In a candid interview with The Breakfast Club morning radio show, Strickland did not hold back, pointing out how conversations around athlete pay often change when it involves a Black performer.
“They only complain when a Black person gets paid, I will say that. We shake the foundation of things like that,” Strickland remarked.
He went on to challenge WWE’s stance, questioning why his contract was even a topic of discussion for a company that had parted ways with him two years ago.
“‘Oh snap, wait. That’s not what we would pay.’ Then why are you calling me? Why are you asking me? If I’m not your concern, then don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about my pockets and our money.”
Strickland made it clear that he holds no grudges towards WWE, acknowledging their decision not to renew his contract previously. Instead, he emphasized his determination to continue succeeding in the wrestling world.
“We’re good. You have your talent. You made your decision with me two years ago. No hard feelings from me. I keep it moving and I’m going to figure my way out and I’m going to build myself up.”
Strickland’s comments highlight a broader conversation about fairness and representation in sports contracts, particularly regarding Black athletes.
AEW Grand Slam: Dynamite saw some of the very top names of the All-Elite promotion in action, including Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, The Young Bucks, and Mariah May. The show also saw a huge debut unfold in New York City as MVP has arrived in AEW.
An interview segment began with Tony Schiavone asking Prince Nana for an update on Swerve Strickland’s medical status following the brutality of All Out 2024. Nana confirmed that Strickland is not currently cleared to compete but is working toward his return.
It was then that MVP interrupted things, making his AEW debut after parting ways with WWE earlier this year. MVP criticized Nana’s management of Strickland, accusing him of focusing more on dancing and selling coffee than on advancing Strickland’s career. MVP handed Nana a business card, instructing him to pass it on to Strickland whenever the former AEW World Champion wants to “get serious” and “talk business.”
Just when we started to hear about Swerve Strickland, we got a surprise appearance and OFFER from MVP!
MVP has arrived in AEW, but the question is whether he’ll bring in some more WWE alum. MVP reportedly intends to reunite with Bobby Lashley and there had been talk of both men coming to AEW before MVP’s debut this week. Lashley and MVP reportedly intend to revive the Hurt Business alongside Shelton Benjamin, who was released from WWE last September.
With the Hurt Business name under the ownership of WWE, MVP has filed a trademark for ‘The Hurt Syndicate’ and recently told a fan that the Hurt Business is “dead” but he is still in business. Now, MVP’s business has brought him to AEW. Stay tuned to see what’s to come for MVP and whether he will be able to coax Swerve Strickland into taking on his managerial services.
Swerve Strickland has noticed and responded to the discourse going around his unsanctioned cage match with Hangman Page at AEW All Out.
The horrifying new chapter in the feud between the two arch-rivals featured unprecedented violence that made a lot of people uncomfortable. More than 24 hours after the bout, the discussion around it is still going strong. The former AEW Champion has noticed the debate, especially the questions around whether or not such extreme brutality was necessary for the bout.
Swerve responded to it with a tweet mentioning that this is what fans should have expected from a bout that was unsanctioned.
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) September 9, 2024
AEW’s Unsanctioned Matches
Labeling a match as unsanctioned is AEW’s way of telling fans to get ready for a true fight instead of a pro wrestling contest.
The first of its kind match took place at Full Gear 2019 between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley, though at the time it was dubbed as a ‘Lights out’ match. The ending of that bout saw Mox exposing the wooden panel under the ring mat and delivering a Paradigm Shift on it for the win.
The first official unsanctioned match took place between Adam Cole and Chris Jericho at Double or Nothing 2023. The bout ended via referee stoppage when Cole wrapped a chain around his knee to deliver his finisher and continued beating Jericho afterward.
The match between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page topped both these bouts with weapons such as a cinderblock and a syringe being used during the memorable encounter.
This fight ended after Hangman delivered a brutal chair shot to Strickland on the head. You can check out a report about what’s next for Swerve after the PPV here.
It might be a while before we see Swerve Strickland back on AEW TV after his brutal match with Hangman Adam Page at last night’s All Out PPV.
The former AEW Champion confirmed the signing of his new contract before All In 2024 event a couple weeks ago. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the new deal factored some much-deserved time off for the 33-year-old, and the closing to last night’s event was a way to write him off for it:
“I heard a long time ago that Swerve was going to sign the contract and get some time off, and this was the angle.”
Strickland and Page wrote another horrifying chapter of their rivalry during the lights out unsanctioned cage match that main evented the latest AEW PPV.
Both men were in no mood to show any mercy after the highly praised closing angle of Wednesday’s Dynamite that saw Page burning down the childhood home of his arch-rival.
The competitors topped their previous encounter with this extreme bout which started with Strickland attacking Hangman even before the bell had rung. The duo then used unconventional weapons such as a staple gun and a cinderblock to brutalize each other.
The ending of this fight saw Page sticking a needle into his opponent’s cheek and hitting him in the head with a brutal chair shot. The referee had to call for the bell after this because Swerve was in no condition to continue the bout.
It makes sense for Strickland to be off TV for a while after this ending. One thing is for sure however, that the rivalry between these two is far from over and Page will have a lot to worry about when the former champion does return from his absence.
The feud between ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and Swerve Strickland has been one of AEW’s hottest angles in years, and that term became quite literal this week. On Dynamite, Page burned down the childhood home of Strickland which had been highlighted in the show, all while Swerve watched on in horror from the ring in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This fiery climax to Dynamite has been praised by fans but AEW ensured that safety was a top priority during the scene. According to a report from Fightful Select, professional supervision was in place at all times while filming. Sources in AEW shared their happiness with how the angle was executed and the response it has garnered so far.
The burning of the house had been planned for months and AEW opted to coincide the segment with Strickland recently announcing a new deal with AEW. While Strickland reportedly had over half a year left on his deal, AEW saw an opportunity to bolster his storyline by having a new deal publicly confirmed, and for Strickland to mark the signing by purchasing his childhood home.
Plans for the burning of the home were kept a closely guarded secret in AEW, though there have been clues teasing the fiery segment ever since Page returned as a heel. Numerous wrestlers both in and out of the company reached out to Swerve to congratulate him on the purchase, unaware of what was to come. One wrestler told Fightful that Strickland ‘kayfabed’ them by thanking them after they congratulated him.
What’s to Come?
After committing arson on nationally broadcast programming, many would suspect that Page would be in jail or at least arrested for what unfolded on Dynamite. Fightful adds that there are “storyline reasons planned” as to why Page hasn’t faced any repercussions so far. The two will face off at this weekend’s All Out pay-per-view in a Steel Cage match that will reportedly headline the show. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on AEW All Out including live results and breaking news.
Strickland and Page have been at war for months now and plenty has been said between the two former AEW World Champions. In a promo that now seems eerily prophetic, Page vowed that he would burn Strickland’s world to the ground, hinting at what was to come.
It’s not just what Page has had to say that should have led fans to predict the fiery conclusion to this week’s AEW Dynamite. Since turning heel, Page has used a new entrance theme, complete with a new video. Early into the theme, the image of a burning building can be seen. Later on, more fires can be seen.
The feud between the two former AEW World Champions will reach its climax this Saturday at AEW All Out 2024, where they are set to face off in a highly anticipated Lights Out Street Fight. Following this week’s episode of Dynamite, AEW President Tony Khan announced the match stipulation, ensuring that the company won’t be held accountable for whatever chaos ensues.
AEW All Out 2024 will take place on September 7, at Hoffman Estate’s NOW Arena. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest updates, including live coverage and results.
The rivalry between Swerve Strickland and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page has quickly escalated into one of the most personal and intense feuds of 2024. As both men gear up for their highly anticipated showdown at AEW All Out 2024, Page took their animosity to an even more shocking level just days before the event.
On this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, the two were scheduled to meet for a contract signing ahead of their Steel Cage match at the upcoming pay-per-view. However, despite his music playing and being introduced by Tony Schiavone twice, Page failed to appear.
On the titantron, a video feed showed that Page was at Strickland’s childhood home, which Swerve had recently purchased. The house had been highlighted earlier in the show, and Page took things to a new level of personal by setting the building on fire.
After AEW Dynamite went off the air, Tony Khan informed the live crowd that the match between Swerve and Hangman would be an unsanctioned lights-out steel cage match. The bout will be the pair’s first one-on-one encounter on pay-per-view since their extremely violent Death Match at AEW Full Gear in November 2023.
Strickland, not to be outdone, made a chilling revelation on social media following the episode, hinting at plans that could spell disaster for Page during their clash at All Out.
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) September 5, 2024
The war between Swerve Strickland and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page has been one of the hottest angles AEW has seen in years, and now that term has taken a much more literal meaning. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on both men, as well as breaking news and live results from this weekend’s All Out 2024 pay-per-view.
Swerve Strickland threw the gauntlet on AEW Dynamite, challenging ‘Hangman’ Adam Page to a Steel Cage Match at AEW All Out on September 7. This challenge adds another layer to what has already become one of the most personal and heated rivalries in AEW history.
RUN IT BACK! Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Cage in a CAGE at #AEWAllOut?!
Strickland, known for his intensity and mind games, had strong words for Hangman when issuing the challenge.
“I challenged you to remind the world what ‘Cowboy Shit is all about. Instead of trying to burn my career to the ground, your career is the one going up in flames, boy. So once again, I ask you a question. In that cage, what kind of man are you going to be? Better yet, what kind of man are you going to show your kids you’re going to be?”
– Swerve Strickland to Hangman Page
Page accepted the challenge later in the show and AEW made it official.
Updated Card for AEW All Out 2024
International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. PAC
Steel Cage Match: Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland
CMLL Women’s World Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Kris Statlander
AEW All Out airs live on pay-per-view Saturday, September 7, 2024 from Hoffman Estates, Illinois at the NOW Arena.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest updates on this developing story and all things AEW.
AEW looks like it’s going to be Swerve Strickland’s house for years to come as the former World Champion inked a new deal with the company.
Strickland happened to sign his new AEW deal on air with Tony Khan observing and Fightful Select has some new details of what that new deal entails.
According to the report, the contract is a multi-year deal that will keep Strickland around AEW at least through 2028. This is reportedly one of the biggest deals in AEW history.
Sources have praised Swerve for the work he has done not just in the ring, but out of the ring as well when it comes to making appearances and doing interviews.
Bryan Danielson actually had very high praise for Swerve following his main event match with Strickland at ALL IN. During the post-show media scrum in London, Danielson commended on the talent of Strickland not just as a performer, but as an ambassador for the company as a whole.
Strickland and Danielson duked it out big time in the main event at Wembley and it was Danielson who came out on top, being the first wrestler to force Strickland to submit when he locked him in the LaBell Lock.
Swerve first signed with AEW back in 2022. That initial deal was set to keep him through March of 2025, but now this new deal locks the star in for the foreseeable future. Current plans are to keep Strickland at the top of the card.
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland will be staying with AEW after inking a new deal, just hours before the biggest match of his career. On the AEW All In: London 2024 Zero Hour show, footage was shown of Strickland inking a brand new contract which was also signed by AEW President Tony Khan.
Strickland signing a new AEW deal comes shortly before he defends the AEW World Championship at All In: London 2024. In the show’s main event, Strickland will put his gold on the line against Bryan Danielson. The American Dragon earned the title match by winning the Owen Hart Foundation 2024 Men’s Tournament.
Danielson has vowed to retire from in-ring competition if he does not win the AEW World Championship tonight. Ever the resilient champion, Strickland has said he has no issue with the idea of being the one to end the career of his immensely popular challenger. AEW All In: London 2024 will mark Danielson’s first time competing in Wembley Stadium and the second time for Strickland.
